Twitter Cuts To the Truth

It's Sunday, July 3rd. It's pouring outside.

I had to go into the office for a while yesterday, so I feel no remorse in dedicating today to complete rest and relaxation.

Djokovic has just won the Wimbledon title, so I pick up the remote and start channel surfing.

I land at MSNBC and find myself transfixed on something I had vowed never to follow: the Casey Anthony murder trial. But not just any day of the trial –  the closing arguments. 

I miss the prosecution's argument, but catch defense attorney, José Baez, as he tries to raise reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury.

He mentions garbage that had been left to rot in the trunk of Anthony's car, possibly creating the "smell of death" that the prosecution has made a focal point of their case. He says the trash left in the trunk included cheese.

Then, he says something that blows my mind.

In wrapping up the defense argument in a trial in which his client may face the death penalty if she's found guilty of the gruesome murder of her child, Baez says to the jury, and I quote:

"They want you to know who cut the cheese."

My jaw dropped. I have no idea what his intent was. Was he trying to use humor to break the tension in the room? Did he not realize that this phrase is used as a euphemism for something else?

I don't know. 

So I do what I've done for a few years now, whenever I want an instantaneous snapshot of people's reactions to something I've just seen or heard:

I search Twitter. 

I find that I'm far from alone in my shock and disdain. Twitter is such an amazing tool for reading the mind of America.

Apparently, the mind of America considers Baez a tool, too. 

-Mark 

 

Extrovertic Has Gone to the Dogs

Those who have been up to the 7th floor of our West 20th St. office in New York City will attest to the fact that space has gotten a little precious these days.

We've been growing rapidly to such an extent that we've had to take additional space on two other floors at that address as well as in an office on West 19th St.

The good news is that construction of our big, beautiful, brand new office at 30 West 21st St. will be completed within the next month, and all of the NYC Extroverts will soon be under one roof. 

So what does an agency short for space do to boost the morale of its people?

Bring in more bodies!

Not human bodies; canine ones.

In support of  Bide A Wee and Pet Sitters International, we invited our employees to bring in their 4-legged family members for not just one, but two days of togetherness. First on Tuesday, and then again on Friday, the official national Take Your Dog to Work Day.

I have to admit, the presence of these pooches in our office really did have a great effect on the environment. I think our collective blood pressure was probably brought down quite a bit.

For the most part, everyone got along fabulously. (Harley Reilly and Lily Wetzel-Sugarman did have to be kept apart for a while.) 

Herman Drossman and Sally Shechtman were both pretty laid back, while young Luna Merino (in her best little skirt) is still not quite office-broken. Cassie Graff was very well-behaved during her short visit.

Speaking of visits, on Friday, we were graced with the presence of Dr. Robert Gordon, director of the Oakland Animal Hospital in Oakland, NJ.

Dr. Gordon spoke to us about the human-pet bond, which is something in which we at Extrovertic have a particular interest.

As our name suggests, everything we do is about improving the bond between various parties– patient and brand, patient and doctor, patient and caregiver, and now pets and the people who love them.

And in the process, Extrovertic and Extroverts. 

-Mark 

 

Regardless of What You Call the Business, It's Evolving

Interactive Marketing Trends

What an amazing time it is to be in the healthcare/pharma/advertising/marketing strategy/digital/social media/relationship marketing/closed loop marketing/consulting business.

Every day brings new challenges. New solutions. New technologies. New surprises. New potential. New growth.

This is not your father's healthcare/pharma/advertising/marketing strategy/digital/social media/relationship marketing/closed loop marketing/consulting business.

It's certainly not the world of advertising I grew up in. And thank god for that. (Actually, I didn't know then what I was missing.)

Then, creative was strictly left to the creatives. We were tasked to develop smart print/radio/TV/direct mail. Later, there were banners/Web sites/emails...

Today, everyone has to be creative. And I mean everyone. Because the charge of an agency today is to create more than just great ads and online messages. It's about creating strategically smart, compelling, holistic, cross-platform programs that strike just the right chord with patients/caretakers/professionals. That connect with them at just the right place in their hearts and moment of their journey. That maximize engagement, incite doctor-patient dialogue, invite more positive and healthful behaviors, better adherence and spread overall good karma.

Then, the creative brief was the domain of the planners and creatives.

Today, everyone needs to get involved, because everyone can bring their unique perspective to the party, and the earlier they do it, the better.

And today's version of "everyone" is different from tomorrow's, as we try to keep up with the ever-evolving tableau of insights/technologies/solutions/regulatory issues...

As I said, it's an exciting time to be in the healthcare/pharma/advertising/marketing strategy/digital/social media/relationship marketing/closed loop marketing/consulting business.

Which by next week, will probably have an even longer name.

-Mark 

 

Sunday Was No Walk In the Park

Last Sunday, Copy Extrovert Jamie Silverman (above, far right) braved the rain to take part in the annual NYC AIDs Walk. Here's her report:

The crowd roared, “EX-TRO-VERT-IC!, EX-TRO-VER-TIC!, EX-TRO-VER-TIC!,” as our band of merry Extroverts crossed the starting line at the NYC AIDS Walk this past Sunday. 

Okay, so maybe that didn’t happen. But, clad in our Extrovertic-branded shirts, we did make a fierce showing on a dreary, rainy day.

And we were just mere specks in the sea of thousands of dedicated folks who braved the elements to do their part in the fight against AIDS.

Young, old, gay, straight, in drag, or wearing their team T-shirts, every possible demographic was represented. Free snacks abounded (always a cause for excitement).

But I would say that the surprise appearance of the cast of the television comedy, “Modern Family” (Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, and Julie Bowen), at the opening ceremony was the highlight of the day.

Briefly meeting a coworker’s mom en-route was the piéce de résistance.

(The festively clad cheerleaders showing their pride, and lubricant – brand sponsored garbage cans, tied for second.)  

The 6-mile walk began on the east side of Central Park, took us on a scenic (albeit extremely slow moving) tour up through Harlem, and back down the west side.

Celebrities and mom sightings aside, what really made the day special was the sense that every one of us – no matter our ethnicity or sexual orientation – were in this thing together. Slogging through the raindrops and mud, we all marched on, in the hope of making a real difference. A veritable army of Extroverts. All working towards the common goal of elevating the patient. We were walking for the brave people who suffer from AIDS.

It was a great experience. And, quite likely, the first of many Extrovertic AIDS Walks.

-Jamie

 

Unmasking an Extrovertic Hero

Last night, a number of  us at Extrovertic had the privilege of attending the Cielo Latino "Unmask AIDs" gala in support of the Latin Commission on AIDs, for which we were a sponsor.

It was an incredible night. The food was superb (the event was held at Cipriani Wall Street).

The crowd, extremely diverse and primed for a wonderful evening.

The presenters, top rate. (Rosie Perez was as hysterically raunchy as she was passionate about the night's cause.)

But Rosie wasn't the only person whose dedication to the evening's success was palpable.

Our Digital Creative Extrovert, Russell Wakelin (above left), was our personal master of ceremonies. Russ has sat, for the past few years, on the commission's board, and serves as Creative Director for the annual event. It's something he cares about deeply and it shows.

It quickly became clear that he was as much a part of the fabric of the evening as the red carpet we all got to pose on before entering the building. (Guillermo Chacon, the President of the Commission, greeted Russ – and the rest of us – with open arms for the paparazzi. Mr. Chacone also saluted Russ warmly from the podium during his opening remarks.)

And for good reason. Russ did terrific job, which was no surprise to us. He helped make the evening extremely powerful and memorable.
 
And his colleagues extremely proud. 

Russ showed the rest of the world why our Extroverts are truly something special.

-Mark 

 

When a Duck Tweets and Other Birdbrain Social Media Gaffes

Last month, comedian Gilbert Gottfried was relieved of his 11-year job as the voice of the Aflac spokes-duck, for tweeting a series of offensive jokes about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

(While the jokes were truly in bad taste, the fact that 75% of Aflac’s business comes from Japan probably didn’t help Gottfried’s situation.)

He quickly offered an apology, but the damage had already been done. And while the duck had lost its voice, Aflac had smartly turned a major social media gaffe into a huge opportunity: it invited the public to audition for the role. Thousands have tried out so far and the press coverage has been a boon for the company. Also, Aflac got behind the Red Cross in Japan and created a Facebook page to raise funds for it that currently has about 249,000 “likes.”

The company’s quick response to Gottfried’s insensitivity was brilliant. Others have not been so smart:

1. Jordan Spriggs, a freshman defensive back for the Auburn Tigers sent out this tweet: “man who is good at writing papers?????????????? I pay.” Obviously, the young man is as unknowledgeable about tweeting as he is writing school papers. 
2. Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest and a number of other semi-celebs threatened to stop tweeting until the AIDs charity, Keep a Child Alive raised $1 million. The thought was nice. But seriously: who in his or her right mind could feel that a life deprived of Kardashian tweets is a life not worth living? 
3. In Syracuse, NY, a customer of the Price Chopper supermarket chain tweeted a complaint about the local store. A customer service person at Price Chopper responded by complaining to the complainer’s boss. Somehow this all ended up going viral.

These are just a few examples of the dangers of social media when it’s not used thoughtfully. There must be many, many more. I invite you to share any you’ve heard.

-Mark

Nice Party, But It Could Have Been Better

Well, I did it again: I hosted another House Party. This time, a “Celebrate Life at 50” party for AARP. (My previous one was for wine and cheese on behalf of the French government. Here's my post about that.) 

A confluence of factors led to my repeat engagement as a House Party hostess. First, I wanted to show clients the power of word of mouth marketing. Second, my best friend has a business relationship with AARP and was curious about the House Party experience. 

AARP definitely benefited from my party. One guest had been interested in joining, but thought she had to wait till age 55. Another claims to not have received any AARP mailings. If any one of them ends up enrolling by calling the special 800 number provided to the partygoers, then it may well yield a positive return on the $200 per party cost for AARP (my estimate). However, House Party could have been a far more powerful tool for AARP if a few more marketing basics were followed. Here are a few of my suggestions:

• Single-minded focus: The party theme was too general and the suggested activities ranged from tips for staying physically fit to a quiz on party etiquette around the world. (Did you know that in the Middle East you should leave a little food on your plate or else it will be refilled immediately?)

AARP would have done better to have focused on a single benefit area. For example,  building a compelling party around a travel theme. This would have naturally raised curiosity about AARP travel benefits. I ended up featuring food and cocktails from the '50’s as the hook for my party. (French onion dip and a Tom Collins anybody?) Fun for my guests, but not really “on message” for AARP.

• Clear consumer benefit: Hostesses are looking for some “social currency,” being the first on their block to know something. The AARP site features a travel section with a well-known travel expert, Peter Greenberg. On the site, Peter offers insider travel tips. For example, a list of small cruise lines with interesting destinations. This is the type of information hostesses could have internalized and actively shared with their guests  

From the guest standpoint, the party goody bag was very generous, but what 50 year-old really needs another water bottle? Most of us have too much stuff already. (Vintage Advil mini-marathon tee shirt anyone?) If the 50-55 age group is the target for membership growth, what about an activity helping us with our particular sandwich generation stresses?

• An organizational face and voice: Social media has raised customer expectations around engagement. They don’t want a nameless customer service representative, they want Comcast Frank! Staying with the travel theme, AARP could have leveraged Peter Greenberg. One way would be similar to the French Wine & Cheese party concierge who dispensed valuable tidbits and answered questions on the House Party Hostess site. Peter could have had a similar column and answered questions, leading hostesses to having a more meaningful engagement with AARP.

• Branding Assets: Beyond the AARP logo on party bag items, the branding was largely left up to chance. Hostesses were expected to print out the AARP brochure and list of AARP links. Being a marketing nerd, I did it, but I wonder how many others would have made the same investment of time and money. 

And where was AARP's magazine? One of my guests said she loved the magazine because all the famous over 50 celebrities made her feel more “on trend” about being over 50 herself. If the magazines were lying around the party, they would have been picked up and discussed. Better yet, what about a special issue devoted to travel? Part of me wonders if it wasn’t organizational silos getting in the way of providing customer value. I would bet that the magazine and customer acquisition teams are separate profit centers.

Net-net, I am still a big House Party fan and believe with the right attention to marketing basics and a little creativity, it can be a terrific business building and brand engagement tool.

-Dorothy